With award season now on the MLB calendar, the Guardians have more than one name worth watching.
Cleveland’s case starts with the familiar face in the middle of the lineup. Jose Ramirez is usually part of the American League MVP discussion, and he’s piled up plenty of top-three finishes without ever winning it.
This time, though, the wrist injury he suffered in the middle of June cost him too many games, and even before that, his numbers weren’t at the level you’d expect from a typical MVP push. If Ramirez is going to finally claim the honor as the league’s best overall player, the source of that moment looks more likely to come in 2027.
The more realistic Cleveland buzz this time around sits with the rookies. Chase DeLauter and Parker Messick both put together seasons that should keep them in the Rookie of the Year conversation.
DeLauter closed his rookie year with a .820 OPS, while Messick’s first full season featured a 2.56 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. One is a hitter, the other is a pitcher, so the comparison is never going to be clean, but both posted numbers that stood out among first-year players at their respective positions.
It would be no surprise if at least one of them ends up as a finalist, and maybe even takes the award.
Then there’s the Cy Young race, where the Guardians have two legitimate possibilities. Gavin Williams put himself on the map with 248 strikeouts, good for a spot among the American League leaders, and he finished with a 3.76 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP.
Messick is in the mix here too, which opens the door to something unusual: a rookie winning both Cy Young and Rookie of the Year. As Stephen Vogt was campaigning for just that before the regular season even ended, it’s clearly a possibility Cleveland can at least dream on.
In Other News...
Guardians Get A Big Defensive Honor As Kwans Run Suddenly Stops
Tanner Bibees season had its rough patches, but his work on the mound still earned him a major piece of hardware. The Cleveland right-hander won the American League Rawlings Gold Glove Award for best defensive pitcher, the first Gold Glove of his career and the first by a Cleveland pitcher since 2022, a fitting nod to the kind of athleticism and fielding instincts that can get overlooked when the focus is usually on wins and losses.
The bigger surprise around the Guardians came with Steven Kwan, whose run of four straight Gold Gloves came to an end this year. Kwan was again among the finalists, but this time the award went to Ceddanne Rafaela, leaving Cleveland without one of its most familiar defensive honors even as Bibee gave the club another reason to celebrate its glove work. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Alex Cobb Trade Just Took Another Painful Turn
When the Guardians dealt Nate Furman and Jacob Bresnahan to San Francisco for Alex Cobb, the move was supposed to bring Cleveland a veteran arm for the stretch run. Cobb instead managed only 23 innings because of a hip injury, leaving the trade looking thin for the Guardians and putting the focus on what they gave up to get him.
Furman has since moved on again, with the Giants sending him to Washington as part of their roster cutdown process. The infielder has built a solid minor league resume and now has a chance to fight for a utility job with the Nationals, who are carrying a crowded 40-man roster and will have to sort out where he fits. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Offseason Roster Squeeze Is About To Force Tough Calls
The Guardians have already started trimming and reshaping their 40-man roster, and the next few weeks figure to get even busier. After letting pitcher Shawn Armstrong test free agency and adding prospect Milan Tolentino, Cleveland is sitting with four open spots, a little breathing room that may not last long once the front office begins protecting players from the Rule 5 Draft.
Several prospects are expected to be added, and the club may need to clear additional room through trades or outrights to make it all fit. The real pressure point arrives with the non-tender deadline on November 20, when Cleveland could be forced into some difficult decisions as it tries to balance immediate roster needs with long-term depth. [Read more 🡒]